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Topic: Arth (Read 21771 times)

The eastmost segment of Secondland contains four swamp/ marsh/ bog biomes. The northern two biomes are classic "gator swamps". The south eastern biome is a mangrove and island environment. The south western marsh is more of a marsh, than a swamp. The biomes are are approximately square. Each biome is having "bleed", as sea water is begining to creep further and further "inland", just like FirstLand.

The Wapti society is fairly alien to our mind. They are a territorial people who normally only see others when "in season". They live in a semi-aquatic state. Their "dens" are made of sculpted plants/ trees and excavated holes. It seems they sculpt these plants like Elventi sculpt hometrees, though not as completely. They use minimal tools and other artifacts of civilization. (Note: They tend to keep alien items as trophies or objects of art). They have no notion of personal possession, except for their own thoughts and territories. They seem to have a slight symbiotic relationship with the local flora/ fauna that they direct telepathically. They are totally zenophobic, destroying any non telepathic intelligent species outright and disdaining telepathic species. There is some kind of higher organization through a telepathic network, but as a general rule they tend to ignore each other except when they infringe their territory.

A few Wapti made it through the warp gate. They then colonized the swamp biomes, making it one of the most dangerous places in the Known World.

In the south east biome, there is a blue swirling mist. This is the WarpGate. People and things fall through this gate from there world to Arth. Sometimes it is an individual. Othertimes it is an entire village or city neighborhood. The Wapti kill most things that come through the gate, but the odd individual or group (Amazonti) survive.

Wapti are powerful creatures Octipi appearing being with four arm tenticles, two larger leg tenticles, and two smaller facial tenticles. Taller, stronger, and faster than a humanti, they just need to keep damp to function on land. They also appear to have vast telepathic and mind control powers as well. If they did not wish to live in their own spaces/ world, they would certainly be a major threat to even the Imperial Army.

It should be noted that the Imperium does receive its taxes from the Wapti. The Elventi have always been vauge on how and why this arrangement occurs.

The Nihkon Islands are populated by Grey Orcenti. This chain of six large islands is the only place where Orcenti are present on SecondLand. The early Humanti tribes were often "at war" with the Orcenti (Grey and Common) of SecondLand. The Wapti wiped them out to the very last queen, while they were trying to destroy the Humanti. Now the only place where they remain is Nihkon.

Nihkon is a wonderous place, filled with beauty and vast destruction. A military warlord oversees a complex system of vassals and knights. (They were delighted that the Imperium and the Emperor wished to oversee their island, as they had no proper Emperor.) The Nihkonese warrior is loyal beyond death, totally obedient, and one of the finest warriors known to the Known World. The Nihkonese clan lords conflict with each other in a very structured game of military conquest.

I could continue to write about this, but the Nihkonese Orcenti are Samurai and their society is based upon Fedual Japan circa 1400s. Like the Nipponese of the time, they were "resistant" to outsiders. The only Nihkonese Orcenti found off the island is the occasional Ronin who sell their services to merchants.

The Orcenti Nikhonese actually did not come through the Warp as most people suppose. The GrandOne, a warrior elite from another land (A Samurai), came through the Warp, eluded the Wapti and made it to the coast. He saw an island that he thought was home. He realized his mistake once he was there. The venerated FirstMother watched this warrior save some of her children. From then on, each generation learned and was taught by the GrandOne. The Entire Nikhonese society is based upon what the GrandOne taught.

Thirdland is the second largest land in the Known World. It is filled with "fractured biomes". It has a large number of biomes of a smaller average size. Most biomes are ecological areas that are about the size of a Smaller European state. Most of 180 biomes on ThirdLand are a faction of that size. Each one seems to contain one specific ecological area. The reasoning behind this is known only to Ge-Em

Most of the beings here are Humanti. Except for the "sandmen" of The Wastes, all were imported by Elventi to Thirdland. Here they mined, quarried, and harvested for Elventi interests. Eventually they were free to follow their own destinies.

There are X number of Geo-Political divisions on Third Land. Note: for a reference ThirdLand is shaped like a backwards seven.

Nothern GreenZone:These biomes fill the topmost area of Thirdland. They tend to be hot, humid, and with a great deal of plant and animal life. These areas are infested by Goblinenti and Orcentis. These Goblin Barbarians pay tribute to the Imperium, so they are the "rulers" of their biomes.

Great Ridge:This is a huge mountain range that runs along the top of the seven. It serves as a buffer between the GreenZone and the rest of ThirdLand. Here are the Dwarven Clans, a small Kern Colony, a city of wing folk, Gargoyles, and the occasional orcenti/goblinenti tribe looking for new loot. The only "passes" between the Northern Green and the rest of ThirdLand occur at the west most and east most areas of the Great Ridge.

Antioch:This city state covers the upper western portion of ThirdLand. The ecology is very Mediteranian. The region centers around Antioch, perhaps the most interesting city on ThirdLand. It contains the entire length of the mightly Antioch river (which runs East to West). Some other notable places include The Region of Avalon, Fort Port at the mouth of the river, and several Podling biomes.

Antioch Started as a Star Stone mining site. It was a fresh start for all the Humanti that originally came here. That fresh start has led to the Guilds ruling. Instead of the Clan being the dominant social structure, like in SecondLand, the Guild becomes the substitute clan here. Antioch is a city of commerace, manufacturing, and ideas. A new revolutionary way of thinking is being developed here. In addition all races of the Known World and the created races on ThirdLand are found here.

The Villages:To the east of Antioch, where the various streams come down from the Great Ridge to form the Antioch River. Here is a balkinized region that has not achieve one central government in many centuries. Here nobles and their knights, strive to obtain more biomes for their own, in an attempt to unify the region, and fight off Plainsmen. All the while the peasant farms continue to feed most of ThirdLand.

The (Antioch) Wastes:Here is a set of rocky and arid biomes between Antioch and Amar. The terrain itself makes caravan travel between the two city states difficulty. The Sandmen (humanti who live here) occasionally raid the caravans. Still Caravans take half the time to get the two city states than sea travel.

One must be cautious when travelling the wastes. The biomes here do not connect causally here. You can not always get back to where you started by simply going back the way you came. (This phenomena occurs in other places, but is most prominant here.) Wayfinders are a must.

The Citystate of Amar: Amar administers most of the central part of the seven, concentrating on the western part. The Citystate of Amar is mostly just the biome of Amar, one of the largest on Thirdland. Amar is fairly warm, a little arid, with a bright sun, much like North Africa. The City of Amar is on the coast. Amar is the primary sea port for ThirdLand, as the winds here make it easy to and from SecondLand and FourthLand. Amarians are the main traders of the KnownWorld, being centrally located and easy to get to. Amar is also where the Imperial Govenor makes his residence when he is on ThirdLand.

Each Merchant house has taken the place of the Clan Structure. While there is a strong family trend inside the Merchant Houses, it is all based on capabilities.

The Great Plains:This huge area covers the other half of the central arm of the seven, the eastern part. Most of the biomes here are flat grasslands, though a few of them contain suprises. The people who live here are "native" to ThirdLand. They are all semi-nomadic to fully nomadic tribal peoples of various species. In addition to the "Wild Elves", there are Grey Orcenti, newly immigrated Humans, Centaurs, and Putti. The last two being created races (see Ruins of ThirdLand).

The areas between:There are a number of biomes between Amar, the Plains, and Avon. This middle area is nominall under the control of Avon. There is a wide variety of "ways" in these biomes. Some of the created races hold sway here, but mostly the biomes are populated by human immigrants that have adopted to their new biomes with a whole heart.

The City State of Avon:The smallest of the three city states, Avon is the most conservative. A city (and barely that) of fishermen and woodsmiths. There biome is a combination of rocky shores and deep winter oak forrests. (The seasons change quite seriously here, from very hot in Thermos to a meter or two of snow in Freos. They practice a much older form of Andarian religion, that all the current practices stem from. For all their provincial apperances, they are a friendly folk, accepting of all. In all the Humanti lands, the furry people are best treated in these parts, though few to none live in the city proper.

The Guilds of Avon seem to be broken down along clan lines, blurring the line of which is more important. They are also the only large population of Earth Humanti in the Known World.

The Ruin Biomes:To the West of Avon, seperated by a tall set of mountain biomes (where Gargoyles reign), are the three biomes of ruins. These ruins were once great cities of an Borroughesk design, now over run by jungle. There is one in each biomes, surround by trackless jungle. Savage Putti and Tribal Wing Folk live in these sweltering biomes, but they stay clear of the cities. The magic and alchemy that made them possible is still there and still active. Playing with things you don't understand is the fastest way to die in these biomes, followed by being eaten by Tigers.

I should begin to detail out all the various areas on ThirdLand, yet by the time I finish that, people will still be wondering about four other areas.

Thus, I will go outline MaskLand, FourthLand, NorthLand, and FirstOcean. Each of these will take one, maybe three posts. So about 8 posts down the line, sometime in the next two weeks I will return to ThirdLand.

When I create a forum for this setting, which will come soon, I will break this out into easier to understand chunks. I will also be soliciting other Lands and a few biomes for ThirdLand.

I do have a number of lands I would like to add to The Known World.* The Sand Sailors* A Kerren Like area* A land where the Dragons have elemental associations and are heartbonded to ryders who act like Jedi-Knights for the world. (Draken)* An area with fantasy superheroes* A more late ren/ age of exploration area.* A complex area I had with a formal caste system

But I need to create the existing world first...

The beauty of Arth is that once you have the basics, you can run your game outside the KnownWorld. Or have the KnownWorld as that mythical place... overthere somewhere.

Nope CP.. Characters in Exalted just have crunchy bits/ powers, and are only heroes because they are the oppressed and hunted, righters of balance. Nope. I was thinking about a somewhat urban and developed fantasy environment, where masked/ costumed vigilantes with powers and abilities far beyond their ken, protect and defend the people from oppressive governments and those who would use their powers and abilities for their own profit. These people sacrifice themselves to be heroes for no true rewards (no eventual return to power like Solars in Exalted.)

Northland is a vast continent, with fifty or so biomes about the size of an average sized American State. Each biomes is very simple ecologically, and are continous to each other. The biomes are normally quite warm, in comparison to the average found in the known world.

With so much territory, one would think there would be Humanti colonies if nothing else. The way of these biomes is what eliminates that. There are giant creatures that live here. Not just large. Not just dinosaur huge. But giant, Godzilla-esk creatures here. The StarElventi call them Gigaforms. They are all extremely territorial and do not brook any other animal forms in the territories (see the expected exception down below. Some theorize that they draw strength from their territory, rather than eating, so the more things in their territory, the less power they can draw upon. This theory seems to make a great deal of sense, as each monster seems to be somewhat unique and ideally suited to their environment.

Note this is a slight change from Arth as it was experienced by my players in the early 80s. It is a much better solution than two tribes of constantly warring meta-beings.

The only exception to the Creatures is the true danger to human sized beings. The Cliek, as the StarElventi call them, are a hive species that live in, around, and off, the Gigaforms. The only sources of food for the Cliek are the various plants, bits of gigaform that have fallen off, other Clieks (from other hives), and any one else who travels to NorthLand unprepared. The Cliek are quite variable in appearance, size, and natural armament. They are bred to any task and follow directions given to them via the hive mind. So there are tiny fast scouts, flying cliek that drop glue or acid upon their prey, huge armored warriors, smart tenders, and what ever else the queen thinks they need. Each biome will have one to six Cliek subterranian hives.

The only intelligent beings on NorthLand are the StarElventi. These enigmatic beings have a cordial relationship with the Imperial Throne.

There is one biome that is different that the rest on NorthLand. It is in this biome that the StarElventi live.

It is positioned near the middle of the long continent, a little north of its median.

The StarElventi arrived on Arth about the same time as The Humanti were retaking SecondLand. There arrival was heralded by a Great Comet, rather than the traditional blue fog or storm.

To hear the StarElventi tell it, they were travelling as the Great Comet when it crashed on Arth. Their arrival changed the biomes they arrived in. It was once a seriously mountainous biome by all accounts. They assume it had a gigaform in it. Currently it is a near circular valley with a nearly perfectly round lake in the center of it. When they first arrived, the lake had yet to fill. The arrival of the StarElventi has unearthed the Pylon for the biome. The Imperial Elventi, using their new found knowledge of Pylon gating, traveled to the biome to investigte the new possibly source of StarStone.

The investigating group discovered that in this biome only sorcery with a keysphere would work. This limited them to magikally travelling to and from the pylon and keeping their intrinsic items functioning at some level.

The StarElventi were using their star magic constructs and odd star magic items to create shelters and set up their new habitat. By all accounts, star magic is very impressive, able to casually do things that would take many wizards time and effort to do. After a brief period of observation, the Imperial Elventi talked with the newcomers. They were caution, but friendly to their cousins. They told the Imperials that they were merely waiting for others to come and get them, so they could continue their journies. The Imperial Elventi attempted to explain the way of things to them, but they seemed to ignore their warning. They blissfully assumed their star magic would work everywhere. A star magic conveyance and golem like constructs just stopped working outside the area they called CrashDown. AFter this occurance, the StarElventi began a serious discussion on The Way of Things.

Both the Imperials and StarElventi discovered the Gigaforms, and why Northland (as it would be called) would never be colonized.

Over the centuries, there has been some exchange between The Imperial Elventi and the StarElventi. All of it has been cordial. Occasional gate travel has made embassies possible. While they can not bring their great devices across Northland, they have found that lesser devices will work in other biomes. There is currently only one StarElventi known to be away from CrashDown. A StarElventi name Laveran is currently in Antioch taking stock of Ariones Impressioner and his "new way of thinking".

StarElventi appear to be AIR Elventi. They are light skinned, fair hair, blue to purpled large and almond shaped eyes, with strong cheekbones and pointed ears. They have slight silver tones to their skin, hair, and eyes. They are a bit taller, aiming towards six foot, and broader than there local "cousins". They seem to mature at 50, and seem to be immortal, but that appears to be a function of their StarMagic. They are like HighElventi in many ways except the personal magics/ powers (though biofeedback/ meditation/ hypnotic techniques let them do some "magical" things.)

StarMagic is a magic based on items. It is a mix of metallurgy, some alchemical goos (plasma), crystals, and a deep understanding of the mystic laws. (It is technology akin to Star Trek OS). Untill recently, there was no common ground for Andorans/ KnownWorlders to understand technology. Ariones of Antioch's new revolution in thinking, may lead to a common ground for KnownWorlders and StarElventi to understand what each other do.

They are crashed star travellers. Technically they have crashed in a different dimension, but being TDDP is very common here on Arth (See the write up of every place). They come from a interstellar society. They think they may be rescued, but that is very, very, unlikely.

Since they managed to kill their biome's Gigaform on their way in, they collectively have become this biome's gigaform.

Since this high tech society is currently surrounded by extremely dangerous biomes that supress its use, there is no way for their "technology" to escape across Arth on any scale. Other biomes might accept the use of StarMagic on a small scale, without disturbing the way of the biome.

MaskLand is a land that appeared via a temporary Warp (See Blue Fog). This land's arrival on Arth was witnessed by some SeaClan sailors. It arrived whole cloth, directly from their sphere. Unlike when the Elventi first arrived, the mask landers arrived with their lands and buildings intact. (Though there were some slight changes due to biomic divisions). Soon after their arrival, (within a week or two), a delegation from the Imperium arrived. They explained to the DiLord and his court where they were, what had occured, and that they were now part of the Imperial KnownWorld and under their protection (if they agreed to join the Imperium of course). They did not even imply any threats, the DiLord agreed and the MaskLanders became Imperial citizens.

The MaskLanders have a very feudal social structure: Farmers on the bottom of pyramid, Merchants on the next rung, Foreigners are wedged between merchants and skilled ones, Priests, Healers, and other Skilled Professions on the next rank, and Nobles on the top. When one dies, one is judged by the weight of one's obligations. If one is too heavy, one drops a rank when reborn. If one is light enough, one rises to the next rank. Thus life and death reinforce the social structure.

Each person is tied to the region (either biome or city) that they are born/ assigned to. Travelling beyond this region requires special requests and normally a noble of some rank to accompany you. Thus if a merchant travels to ThirdLand, they must bring a noble from their home region with them.

In terms of technology, they are only slightly ahead of most of the KnownWorld (Middle Rennaissance), though Antioch is now superior. They also have access to materials, not normally available to the KnownWorld. One of the most "trademark" MaskLander is their Silk. Made from an insect's coccoon, it is a highly elastic fabric that is black. (Think Lycra).

Magically they are slightly behind most of the KnownWorld, but their magics are very specific and tied to their religion. Each person can learn "heart magic" or spells tied to their inner self. (The higher their rank, the more likely that they know these charms). These spells amplify those inner aspects and give them outer form. If one is a hawk, one can learn heart magic to enhance ones eyesight, increase one's grip or ability to leap, and even fly. General magics are not normally practiced.

While they would seem to "fit in to the world" given this information, they are the most alien of all members of the KnownWorld. It all has to do with their religion.

Their religion, the worship of Danu, was a worship of faith, rather than respect/ miracle, on their homesphere. Upon travelling to here, they accepted that there were new and mighty spirits to respect, but continued to worship Danu and the principle of Masque. Now, they have found that the master of masques exists. Their worship empowers Danu and in turn, he empowers his priests. Most KnownWorlders do not understand why the MaskLanders would worship a mere master. They do not understand the word Masque.

Masque is the controlling abstract for the physical noun masks. In the MaskLander's home tongue, mask/ masque has many additional meanings beyond what a ThirdLander might mean by the word mask. The most important of which is the appearance of all things that are different than their core. "Nothing is what it seems on the outside" is the easiest way to view it. Thus Masques are somewhat deceptive and that one should never assume that what something is, is what it is truly is.

They use the name Danu for the Master of Masques. Danu is a deceiver (hiding truths), a revealer (exposing truths), teacher (leading those to truth), and the core of which the natural universe we can sense is merely a mask for what is really there. In short, Danu is associated with Ge-Em.

Part of the worship of Danu is the wearing of masks and disguises, which are both concealing and revealing. There is a complex iconary that MaskLanders use to express aspects of their inner self externally. Only one's family or confidants are allowed to see one without their mask. The various ranks of society wear different levels of masques.

Note: The wearing of masks has led to a great appreciation for theatrics in the MaskLands. It appears that everyone is a character/ player in a stage show, wearing a costume, everyday. This metaphor is accurate, as everyday everyone is playing out their roles. So they do enjoy a good story and stage show.

Peasants wear simple cloth masks and what ever clothes they have (usually a tunic and a pair of silk tights). These masks normally drape from the forehead, with eye cut outs, but other variations exist. Many of these are highly decorated with the assistance of priests, to show elements of themselves.

Merchants wear nicer versions of what peasants wear, soft masks and appropriate clothes. Some Merchants have taken to wearing costumes to enhance themselves. Most are reminicent of a harliquin, but others look more like halloween costumes. In fits of Hubris, some merchants are taking to making elaborate built up masks made of "soft materials". (Note Merchants includes retailers as well as importers/ exporters/ thirdmen).

Those of the Skilled Class, wear solid masks. These are made from a variety of materials, though intricately wood seems to be the most common. The Skilled classes tend to wear clothing appropriate to their various crafts in addition to their masks. They have a tendancy to coordinate their clothing with their mask, creating the costume/ uniform concept that pervades MaskLand.

Between the Skilled Class and the Noble Class is that of the Warrior rank. There are skilled warrior who work for nobles and lesser nobles who are also knights to greater nobles. Warriors constantly wear their warrior's regalea, fancy armor with a full face helm (usually with horns or addornment) with their weapons. These warrior's armors are combinations of plate, mail, strong layers of MaskLand silk holding things together and quieting. They are quite exotic looking.

Note: That the arts of war and command are the province of the noble class. Most warriors are lesser nobles, and will choose to dress like nobles in many cases. It is only skilled warriors, of non noble line that always wear their armor.

Those of the Noble Class are the most visable of the MaskLanders. In fact, when people say "MaskLander" people think of the nobles. Typically they are wearing full body suits of MaskLander Silk, accesorized with fur, feathers, padded shoulders, and exotic character boots. Their faces are carefully painted. Traditionally, a white field of the face is adorned with appropriate symbolic facepaint. They make quite a sight. These costumes and masks carefully enhance the noble's masque. (Also note that they will have 1-10 magical charms based on their masque).

For Example: A Noble who is a "cat", would have a black cat nose, wiskers, and the shape of cat's eyes pained in black on their whitened faces. Their suit would be black, with fur around the neck and wrists, and cat clawed boots and gloves. (The noble's charms would include seeing in darkness, dexterity, magic claws, talking with cats, super balance, and the ability to summon/ manipulate cats).

For Example: A female noble who personifies Love, might have their suit dyed a red tone. She will have a star over her right eye (showing her eye for emotion). There may be a heart cut out in the center of her busom. Her boots might be thigh high and have a "heart" motif. Any other accessories would have a similar heart motif. (Her charms would be toward empathic awareness and manipulation, possibly the ability to fortell someone's fate (to see if they are to have love)).

(Yes, if you know the RockBand Kiss, they will look a lot like a fully decked out member of the Kiss Army who are portraying themselves).

The general shape of MaskLand is that of the United Kingdom, with the Irish and Celtic Sea filled in with land, and the water level dropped a good 10-30 meters and the mean temperature raised by 7c. (If you need help, here is a map http://education.yahoo.com/reference/factbook/uk/map.html )

The area corresponding to Ireland is broken up into four biomes (north east, northwest, southwest, and southeast). The areas corresponding to the Irish and Celtic seas are lands of mountains, lakes, and large east/ west valleys filled with green. The areas equivalent to England and Scotland are both biomes.

While the geology is fairly standard, the ecology is a bit more exciting. The animals found on MaskLand are the same as Europe's animals, before the Romans depopulated it. So there are African Forest animals, plus bears, through these lands. There are not a lot of MaskLanders, so there has been no pressure to clear all the land and kill all the wild animals.

The cities in Maskland look a bit different, more American of the early 1700s, than the equivalent in England at the time. That has more to do with the average temperature, than the building materials.

MaskLand was once an island country called Urland on a world called Eurth. It held a position very similar to England, north of its "Europe" called Chulan. The various countries of Chulan were emerging from a DarkAge, with a rebirth of old Chular Empire knowledge and ideals. They were uniting in an attempt to repell attempts from the Southern Continent to gain a foot hold and dominate Chulan.

However, providence has seen fit to save these people from that upcoming war.

These peoples literally came to Arth intact. Except for the increase in mean temperature, if someone did not live near a Shimmer Wall or Ocean, they might never know they were transported to Arth. In the last few hundred years since they arrived, their way of life has changed little.

The Seat of the DiLord of MaskLand in geographically in the same location as London. The Great City is called Dether (or ADether now). Here the DiLord holds court and the Nobles meet.

There used to be 10 Lords. The traditional borders for each Lord has been shifted to the biome borders. They have demoted two of the Lords to Honored Knight or (land lord) positions, no longer having borders in the Biome equivlent to England. Now there are eight Lords and the King or DiLord.

Note: These people identify themselves with their county or city, rather than a clan or guild affiliation. This does make them odd ducks to most KnownWorlders. Of course, they are bound to their places by their "obligations" to their Lords, so it is quite natural.

The Lord's council is just a polite fiction, as the DiLord holds all the real power. The Lord's council's one check and balance is that they can approve or disallow an heir. While the DiLord's job is for life, the position is not completely hereditary.

This twenty two biome land can be divided both socially and ecologically into six coastal biomes, where the Lamic people live, and the 16 remaining interior biomes, where the Ngeti live.

The general shape of FourthLand is ovoid, with the north/ south (y axis) being four times greater than than the east/ west (x-axis).

Each coastal biome has the following features: warm -- average temperature being 29c, plus or minus 5c (with the occasional cool wind from the ocean), Dry -- minimum coastal fog and very little rain for a coastal area, border mountains -- every biome's interior border runs concurrent with a mountain range (the ring of biomes make the interior a valley), long coastal plain -- there is always quite a distance between the coastline and the interior mountain range, and lastly shallow rivers -- all of which run from the mountains to the seas (there are no deep or wide rivers in these biomes).

Ecologically, they are all fairly simple. Almost all the plants and animals that are here are domesticated by the Lamic people. There is no area of these biomes that has not been touched by the Lamic people. Their parks and living areas are quite beautiful with flowers and plants, but each was placed or is managed by humanti hands.

The interior biomes are all as warm as the coastal biomes, and usually as dry. They also have no) deep or wide rivers. Ten of the biomes are savanah grasslands, four are forests (and thus much wetter and have more river areas usually related to a spring, one is a "spike" of mountains and jungle, while the last is a broad flat lake.

Ecologically, they are quite complex. There is a huge variety of animals here. Most of these animals would be recognized as those in Africa, with the addition of bears to the jungle areas. In the grasslands there are few types of plants, while in the jungle areas they are almost uncountable. The Ngeti people do not plant and cultivate in the normal human farming pattern, but closer to the Elventi dispersed-organized hunter gather mode.

All of FourthLand has two moons. One is the standard six day moon, while another is a 36 day moon. This makes their lunar calander very easy to follow.

All of FourthLand also follow the same "way" in terms of magic. Conventional magic is difficult here. While a practioner of standard magics might be able to cast spells here with some effort, they will find recovering their energies difficult. Only in the presence of a KeyStone will magic function. This feature in the Ways of FourthLand has created some of the difficulties between the magic using Lamic people and the minimal magic using Ngetti people.

There is one exception to this rule. The Spike of Mountains Biome is a place of easy magics. Given there are 19 KeySpheres in the biome, most in the Pylon and some in synthetic pylons, much of the biome's oddities are explained.

FourthLanders found themselves and their cities transported to Arth several hundred years ago. It is taboo to speak of the time before the arrival on Arth, so nothing is known for sure. The religious leaders made "contact" with the dieties of Arth, and easily adapted their religion to their new reality. In addition, they learned the ways of magic, using the few KeyStones in the coastal pylons. After a small "time of troubles", the Lamic people settled into the stable society they have today.

FourthLanders are "dark element humans". FourthLand is the only place where dark elemental humans can be found, unless they are strangers.

The Lamic peoples are mostly city dwellers. Farmers travel from the city to their plots in the area around the cities. (There is the occasional village, where all the farmers of a region live together then "communte" to their plots). Miners or carpenters commute to work in much the same way.

Their cities are large, functional, and very beautiful. Everything follows the central plan of The Lord and the Wise Ones and the traditions of the given city. As a general rule, their buildings are large stone affairs, with tall towers, archs, domes and curving roofs. This massive scale allows them to be cool (thick walls insulate and high roofs trap warm air) and for several generations of the same family to live under the roof. There are large open boulavards, gardens, and the occasional public fountain. It looks like paradise, except for the heat.

The Lamic people revere education. Every child goes to school, usually at the local temple. Every child of the upper classes goes to academies to learn trades and religious ideals. Wise Ones are culled from the various acadamies and taken to temple di-schools and given intenstive training in religious ideal and forms.

The Lamic people have two governments that overlap with each other. The Lords, hereditary rulers of given cities, and the Wise ones, the oligarchy of religious scholars, rule by mutual consent. While the Lords are the rulers by law and force, their decisions must be "of the way" following religious dictates of the Lamic religion as interpreted by the Wise Ones. If the Lord makes a decision that is not approved by the Wise Ones, then any "holy" (followers of the proper faith) can ignore it. If the Wise Ones make a decision, it can not be enforced or treated as law without the consent of the Lord. This system of checks and balances keeps everything moving slowly and carefully along.

The Lamic interpretation of the God's and their wishes are much more strict than any other peoples, even the Avonians of ThirdLand. The city bells ring six times a day to remind people to take their moments of devotion. Most people travel to their nearest temple (there are dozens in each city, one for each walled neighborhood.) Once a month they will come in on the holy day of the week for a long service that occurs between bells. There are several periods of fasting, watches (staying up and praying), and required service to the WiseOnes, that would be seen as extreme even by the most orthodox followers in the rest of the KnownWorld.

The only accepted practioners of magic in FourthLand are Wise Ones. Everyone else is seen as too dangerous. Most magics here are for the good of the city: luck, prophecy, crop enhancement, weather control, healing, and so on. Those who practice "chaos magic" or self serving magic are ruthlessly hunted down and killed by the faithful.

This need to perform magic is what drives the Lamic people to collect keyspheres. They are constantly sending parties into the interior in an attempt to find pylons and collect those keysspheres. Once they have those keys, they will expand their society into the interior.

When KnownWolders think of FourthLand, they think of the Lamic people. That is because the coastal culture has regular trade relationships with the rest of the world. Unfortunately, it is only part of the population on FourthLand.

The Ngetti people are a tribal, semi-nomadic people. Each tribe is a clan of several related family that roams a given range (geographic area within a biome) on a cyclic migration for food. There is anywhere from three to eight tribes in a given biome, with an average of 30 to 75 people per tribe. They are semi-nomadic, as there are permanent shelters and structures built at certain sites they visit every year. They are very primitive elventi styled structures; built into the ground or the trees, looking as part of the environment as possible.

As a whole, they view themselves as guardians of their realms, protectors and stewards. They practice a "nature enhanced" version of agriculture very similar to the Elventi. They limitedly shepard wild herds to keep them from depleting a given area. They manage the balance of predator and prey in their regions. They attempt to keep the spirit realm and the material realm seperate as well.

This becomes important because of the Ngetti's history. The Ngetti were once several people, some were magical tribals, others were urban agricultural people, with cities and magic. The intense use of magic and the ill use of the land fouled their lands. This darkness changed them, spawning iron using Orcenti. The darkness and fouling nearly destroyed their civilization. Now the Ngetti are stewards and guardians of the land. They watch over the land and the animal, and live off their bounty with a minimum of work. They guard the world from the darkness that might escape from the dark mountains of the plains. They prevent the Lamic people from finding the plyons in their biomes to steal their keyspheres. (The hording and misuse of keyspheres is responsible for the near destruction). They mistrust the Lamic people because they are travelling down the same path as the Ngetti did centuries ago.

Note: It seems like the Ngetti people have experience more time than the Lamic people. Their careful record keeping shows they have been on Arth a little over two hundred years. Yet the Ngetti histories show they (and the Lamic people) they have been on Arth for five hundred years.

This biome is filled with tall jagged mountains covered in rich jungles. These jungles hide the ruins of the ancient cities that still dot the mountain side.

Centuries ago, The Mountain folk were the "leaders" of the interior peoples. They have wealth, food, magic, and metal. They had Key Spheres, gathered from other places, so they had power. Thus the mountain folk had near immortality. Everything was easy for these folks. Yet, they wanted more.

This let the Darkness in. The histories are vague upon this point. A small group of people attempting to harness the Darkness. It escaped their control as it slowly infiltrated the Mountain folk's society. As the darkness spead, people began to change, magic became unpredictable, and in all this chaos, someone discovered iron and steel. For nearly a century this time of chaos occured. Then, a few good people destroyed the Darkness's anchor in the world... and it was gone. (It is still here, but with only a fraction of its power). The survivors banded together and decided to watch over the world, so it will never happen again.

Orsenti are the "people of the mountain". Those few that are aware of their existance think they are Grey Orcenti, with a different skin/ fur color. These "people" were once humans. The taint of the darkness unleashed their animal side. Now they are furry, clawed, monsters. They have gathered in clans of like animal types. Empowered by their mystic cities, these Orsenti are still immortal and will regenrate from any wound... eventually. Thus they will forever be tortured for their hubris.

The Spike of Mountains Biome is a place of easy magics. Given there are 19 KeySpheres in the biome, most in the Pylon and some in synthetic pylons, much of the biome's oddities are explained.

For those that waunder, they will notice the similarities between Spike Mountain cities and the ruins of South East ThirdLand. They may be a common culture or from the same place originally. There may even be an active gate between the two places.....

As any sailor will tell you, any patch of ocean has its own distinct flavor, in the way it moves, the way it smells, the weather found there, and of course in the things living there. In short, each patch of ocean has its own Way.

Arth is a world made up of semi-continuous biomes, each with its own ecology and path. The oceans of Arth are no exception. Each ocean biome has its own way. Most Ocean biomes are huge in comparison to their land cousins; yet the Ocean has an uncounted number of biomes of all sizes. The Ocean of the Known World is fractured, just like ThirdLand. Now in most cases, the change in ocean biome does not touch a sailor, byt some do.

This can make sailing problematic. Longdistance sailing is only possible on Arth with Coursefinders (oceanic Pathfinders). They not only know the biomes of the ocean, they have a "Feel" for them that allows them to sense shifts in travel paths and changes in way. Humans are the only species that are known to have the pathfinding knack, and even then it is in a small percentage. Most people in Arth, stay home. It is both safer and more comfortable being in a familiar "way".

The sea clans have the knack in a disproportionate numbers. Since the knack is required to travel their "home" with great safety, it seems to be a fairly common gift for these people.

The Andoran Ocean is bordered by NorthLand in the North and ThirdLand in the East. There is no firm border for it South and East, except the areas west of SecondLand and south of FourthLand are mostly underexplored. The east side of Thirdland has little in the way of civilization or good ports (as most of the east side are high cliffs populated by winged folk). The Imperium has commisioned a number of ships to explore the sea, to find more Lands and islands. The Emperor has also toyed with offering a reward, like he gave those who discovered MaskLand, as a regular bounty for finding new Lands.

OK, the head of the pantheon, GE-EM is a collector of people, items and enire locations.

But a little larger-than-world question plagues me: If those lands are taken from elsewhere, what about gods of those worlds? If they don't exist, fine. But if they do, do they take kindly this burglary or cataclysmic proportions, or is it a deal of some kind? Or are they simply forced to obey by a more powerful god?

It might have been covered before, but could those races be followed by their gods (thus spoiling the nice pyramid of relations between gods)?

GE-EM may seem now as being evil, but there are other options. Maybe he only takes parts of worlds that will be destroyed soon (it happens in cosmos from time to time). That may explain erased memories of terrible things. Or he takes only from worlds without true gods. Or from gods that take care badly of their creations (though that is debatable once again). Or, if he is The Creator Of All And Everything, maybe he picks the best or most interesting stuff from his children's work. Or what?

But a little larger-than-world question plagues me: If those lands are taken from elsewhere, what about gods of those worlds? If they don't exist, fine. But if they do, do they take kindly this burglary or cataclysmic proportions, or is it a deal of some kind? Or are they simply forced to obey by a more powerful god?

In the big scale, when Lands and such appear, I have always assumed they were copies of said places (Copy...and... Paste... edit slightly). On the small scale, such as strangers or the warp point in the Wapti swamp, they are all transplants.

There could be trades. "Well, I will take this small tribe of Elves, do you want this dragon I have?"

Rescues could be possible.

Quote from: "manfred"

It might have been covered before, but could those races be followed by their gods (thus spoiling the nice pyramid of relations between gods)?

No diety seems to be able to be imported from the old world to Arth. However, the belief system with slight alterations could easily fit the new location.

The big explanation of that was Danu, the God of Masques. Their diety did not (or could not) follow them, but the MaskLanders effectively created Danu, the master of Masques, because of their linguistic definition AND their belief in Danu. Their word masque empowered a new master. Given the definition of Masque, he is quite the powerful diety.

The Lamic people had a single diety with angel helpers. Now they have Ge-Em and the elemental angel helpers, ignoring and down playing Mother Arth and Yi-Any (or making them angels helping Ge-Em).

My view of it has always been "You can worship dieties that are not on Arth, but you can not draw upon them for power, nor can they effect this world."

Quote from: "manfred"

GE-EM may seem now as being evil, but there are other options. Maybe he only takes parts of worlds that will be destroyed soon (it happens in cosmos from time to time). That may explain erased memories of terrible things. Or he takes only from worlds without true gods. Or from gods that take care badly of their creations (though that is debatable once again). Or, if he is The Creator Of All And Everything, maybe he picks the best or most interesting stuff from his children's work. Or what?

Choose the one which best fits your idea of the diety. Or use them all. How are your characters ever going to find out?

...Maybe he only takes parts of worlds that will be destroyed soon (it happens in cosmos from time to time). That may explain erased memories of terrible things.

Choose the one which best fits your idea of the diety. Or use them all. How are your characters ever going to find out?

Hmmm... imagine some fresh newcomers, with memories not _completely_ erased. These people start suddenly develop fears and visions of an incoming cataclysm. What if they are prodigies, and have glimpsed something of future? Sounds like a plot hook to me.

...Maybe he only takes parts of worlds that will be destroyed soon (it happens in cosmos from time to time). That may explain erased memories of terrible things.

Choose the one which best fits your idea of the diety. Or use them all. How are your characters ever going to find out?

Hmmm... imagine some fresh newcomers, with memories not _completely_ erased. These people start suddenly develop fears and visions of an incoming cataclysm. What if they are prodigies, and have glimpsed something of future? Sounds like a plot hook to me.

I could be that they are insane. Imagine if someone said that sort of thign to you? How would you respond? However, by simply defining the way of biome as now allowing pre-arth memories, poof.. they are gone.

Ideas 14 biomes are the Dwarven Clans, a small Kern Colony, a city of wing folk, Gargoyles, and the occasional Orcenti/Goblinenti tribe looking for new Goods. The only "passes" between the Northern Green and the rest of ThirdLand occur at the west most and east most areas of the Great Ridge.

The Primary race of the Great Ridge are the Dwarventi. They are almost exclusively found here. Very few venture other places. Dwarventi are a shorter, broad shouldered, large eyed, partially subterranian humanoid race. They appear more human than most partially subterranian races, like the Goblinenti. Their ears are oversized, but still round. They run from 4'5" to 5'5", and 120 to 200 stones. They mature at 24 and live for approximately 200 years.

They tend to live in large clan lodges that are both above ground and below it (with caves or carved out areas). They are natural metalcrafters, miners, and technologists. Their larger settlements are wonders of engineering, just like the Elventi settlements are wonders of magic and harmony with nature.

Their clannish nature blends quite nicely with the traditional human social structure (clans or guilds). Each clan has its own distinctive braid (for hair and/ or beard) and fabric pattern (like Tartans). There are some 20 Dwarventi clans.

There are only three elements represented in the Dwarventi of The Known World.

Earth: The most common of all Dwarventi. They are a strong and stoic group, with hairs and eye colors that range from light brown to dark brown. (A side note: a Dwarventi's eye colors alway match their hair color.). The have a warrior orrientation, as most of their holdings are periodically distrubed by Goblin and Hobgoblins intrusions. There primary weapon is the Hammer or Mace.

Water: These are the Dark Dwarventi, living in greater seclusion than most Dwarventi. Their halls and towns are almost exclusively underground. Their hair and eyes are black to blue black. Their skin is practicaly pallid. They are the most emotional of all the Dwarventi (and some would say the most paranoid and secretive). They are also masters of enchanting. It is only in recent times, since the "technological revolution" created in Antioch, that they have ventured forth to see this "new way of thinking".

Fire: Found in the western most Mountain Biomes, with a few low land and hilly biomes in areas of "The villages". They are more surface orriented than most Dwarventi. They are also stubbern and stoic, with bouts of emotional exuberence (usually tied to alcohol). Their colors range from a goldish blond to a reddish blond. The three clans of Fire Dwarventi use Axes as their military weapon of choice.

******************************Should I list all 20 clans? Oh why not. Are there lands associated with each clan. No. Clans colonize a good distance away... Dwarves live in a 3d sort of world, so their territories can overlap horizonallty, but be seperated vertically. name conventions Clan and Hall, perhaps a ClanyaHall...

Each clan will need a name, an ethnic group, a region it specializes in, plaid, braid, and some crafts they excell in. allies and enemies? they are not as twisted as the Humanti of SecondLand, but every clan should have one notable feature (either good or bad)

Dwarventi should sound... germanic.. nah steroetypical, but what I did before. Russian. DA! So a list of Russian sounding surnames....this is the only language not defined by Imperial Elventi or translated by Warp into Imperial.

So instead of 20 territories, we have 20 groups with various listings... so lets hit the highlights. Each region will have one to four interesting locations. (The East being the exception because it will have Sky and Kern, and so on). We have how many regions per biome? 3 (approx) gives us 4, 4 approx gives us 3.

I like the four regions, so 3 biomes per region, with East being the exception..

Gargoyle section should be added on, as these territorial creatures will act as guards for various halls.

So 20 clans. One for each letter? nah, done that trick. Since the clans are mostly invisible to peoples, they are mostly there for naming conventions and a little color. Halls, there are thousands of them...